Okay, who's building this, and where?

[robkelk]

Right now I'm trying to figure out where the windows, if any, should go on the main habitat part of the module. Any suggestions are welcome.

I'm thinking that the Main Concourse (Concourse A) should have skylights - plenty of skylights. But not completely roofed with skylights; this is a commercial deck, not an observation deck.

Concourse C might get away with having no windows at all; I'm getting the vibe that it's storage and overflow light-industrial (whatever doesn't fit in the hub), plus residential for employees and permanent residents. We all know what the crew quarters are like on a cruise ship; this is more of the same, but not quite as cramped or spartan. (Noah looks out for his employees, after all.)

Whch leaves Concourse B as primarily leased office space... which should have windows, but I have no idea where to put them, either.

The commercial/office/storage+residential division for Concourses A/B/C is, of course, arbritary and incompletely followed. (There's a BBI office on the Main Concourse, a fair-trade coffee/sandwich shop on Concourse B, and a convenience store in the middle of the residence block on Concourse C, for example.)

Edit: So I don't forget now that I've found one, http://www.bridgehead.ca/]here's the website of a real-world fair-trade coffee/sandwich shop.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[M Fnord]

The concourses are really *bad* places for windows, since the way they're stacked means that you can't see shit once a new ring is loaded into place.
The individual modules are equally bad for windows, especially if they're cut out of the sides. 'S why I ended up putting a viewing cupola on the end
of the basic habitat (the blue nipple thing in the hab image).
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[robkelk]

And also why I suggested putting windows only on the top of the uppermost ring...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[M Fnord]

Hrm, we'll see. Concourse A is looking like it'll be a total bitch...

ETA: And just so this post isn't just me pissing & moaning, here's another WIP:



This is one of the docking ports on the outer ring with attached embarkation lounge and a semi hauler backed up to the airlock.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Black Aeronaut]

Wave Convoy will probably appreciate that bit of ingenuity.

[M Fnord]

Progress continues! Here we have a shot of the B and C rings stacked in their final configuration:



Next on the todo list is Concourse A, Meg's and the SEB drydock, a couple last changes to the hotel stack and then final assembly, assuming that the computer doesn't burst into flames when I try and put all these elements together in one file.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[robkelk]

I've pictured Meg's as having the kitchen at one end, an old-fashioned soda fountain along half the wall separating the kitchen from the dining area,
the counter in front of that, a fair number of free-standing tables (and charis, of course) scattered throughout the room, and a fully-wired soundstage along
the wall farthest from the kitchen. Although with the room we have on the Main Concourse now, we can move the kitchen to a dedicated pod "next door"
and free up some more room in Meg's, assuming we can work out the logistics of getting the food orders through the Main Concourse.

The tables and chairs can be removed for conversion of the room to a soundstage or dancehall. A privacy screen can be pulled in front of the soundstage,
turning it into a generous-sized sound booth and director's office for when Meg's hosts "Stellvia Week on Wheel of Fortune" (or anything
similiar).

Hope this helps...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[M Fnord]

It does, a little. I probably won't get too granular with the detail - more detail == slow as fuck computer - but having a rough floorplan is handy.

In the meantime, this is a wholly frivolous render but it might help inject a little reality check into the discussion. This is Stellvia to scale with another hotel, the Marriot Denver Tech Center (the home of both my home cons, Starfest and Nan Desu Kan). I've gotten so used to seeing the station from god's-eye angles and just in impersonal numbers that looking @ it compared to something *real* that I *know* is refreshing:



ETA: So here's the mostly-finished version of Meg's:



Careful observers will note that the restaurant is very sparsely furnished. This is because the thing is so huge that the number of tables, chairs, etc. required to make it look lived in would slow my system down almost as much (if not more!) than the rest of Stellvia combined!
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Bob Schroeck]

Fantastic work, Fnord, all of it. I almost hate to comment that the renders make the station look like it's studded with dozens of rolls of toilet paper.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[robkelk]

Careful observers will note that the restaurant is very sparsely furnished. This is because the thing is so huge that the number of tables, chairs, etc. required to make it look lived in would slow my system down almost as much (if not more!) than the rest of Stellvia combined!

That's okay - it's clearly in "dancehall" mode. Which means we're just waiting for the Hong Kong Cavaliers to set up before opening the doors...

Fantastic work, Fnord, all of it. I almost hate to comment that the renders make the station look like it's studded with dozens of rolls of toilet paper.

Wait until you see the station with its paint job.

(No, I'm not sure what colour it's going to be. I'm partial to gunmetal gray to match the "original" Stellvia, but I'm open to suggestions...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[ECSNorway]

Wow. So how much usable space is -in- each of those pods and concourses?

I'm wondering if the Concourse might be more than just the big open space, with a good bit of 'frontage' for each pod to allow for multiple-pod
establishments...

And I still don't see why you don't have people consolidating multiple pods into one big long one.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Black Aeronaut]

Norway, that's kinda what they did for Meg's... I think.

[M Fnord]

Wow, lot of comments today.

First things first, the picture of Meg's is already obsolete. You can't really tell in that shot, but I overshot for size - that restaurant is actually just smaller than the entirety of Old Ring. Which seemed a bit overkilly to me, so I've revised it. I'd give you a shot, but right now I'm taking an enforced Sketchup break, so glossies will have to wait.

I almost hate to comment that the renders make the station look like it's studded with dozens of rolls of toilet paper.

Well... yeah. That's the main design challenge of building a space station in the Age of ISS, coming up with something that looks cool despite being made of erector sets and toilet rolls. We persevere, however.

Wait until you see the station with its paint job.

(No, I'm not sure what colour it's going to be. I'm partial to gunmetal gray to match the "original" Stellvia, but I'm open to suggestions...)

I've been painting the thing as I go, and the general color scheme is NASA Beta-Cloth White for the exteriors with International Orange highlights and some exposed metal, esp. in the Old Ring area. Some modules get different paintjobs, frex the Old Ring hangar annex is gunmetal, while Meg's is sort of a silvery chrome with faded red accents, very 50s.

Wow. So how much usable space is -in- each of those pods and concourses?

A lot. Each pod has around ~30x50 ft floorspace just off the bat, and the headroom is tall enough that you could turn that into a split-level or second story with a ~20x50 floor if you wanted to. It's a little smaller than the estimated average American house, but not by much. And there are *84* modules on a ring with no special components like Concourse A.

The concourses and causeways are pretty wide, the arc of the hull cuts into useable headroom but they're about the width of a narrowish hallway in a shopping mall, ~20 ft or so.

And I still don't see why you don't have people consolidating multiple pods into one big long one.

Well, *I'm* not doing it in large part because this thing's coming close to breaking me as it is. It's certainly possible, and I'll probably end up making an example out of the SEB yard just to prove the concept.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[ECSNorway]

What are you using for the design software?
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[M Fnord]

I'd swear I've answered this at least three times before, but once again, I'm using Google Sketchup for all the design and modeling work on Stellvia.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[robkelk]

I'd swear I've answered this at least three times before,

You did - I saw the replies.

(So, what are you using for the design software? )
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

Don't tease the nice graphic artist.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[M Fnord]

Allrighty, here's the revised version of Meg's. I've even been nice and stuck some measurements in there for reference purposes:



The major difference is the big square bit that filled the image in the first version is gone. Good riddance. The interior of the rest of the restaurant is laid out more or less the same, with a dance floor & stage at one end. I've added a second "floor" split-level deal to increase the amount of useable floorspace for diners (and hell, it works as a lighting rig for concerts & whatnot).

ETA: One last thing before I go to bed, here's a blueprintish beauty shot of Concourse A in progress:



Got to admit I like how that came out. And now I sleep.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Bob Schroeck]

Seconding the beauty of the blueprint, Fnord. And sleep well.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[M Fnord]

And sleep well.

Sixteen hours later...

So here's the first pass on the Above & Beyond drydock facility. I've even stuck a Roadrunner-esque freight hauler in one bay, just for kicks:



The big macaroni thing in back will be the dock's office facility. On the todo list for this unit: connect the dock to the office, set up airlocks, create a viewing bay up over the rear bulkhead, probably remove the freighter for polycount concerns and make sure everything's painted correctly. And that's pretty much it for new modules, after this is done & approved it's on to final assembly.

ETA 17:06 MDT: And just in time for dinner, here's the final-for-approval drydock:


Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[robkelk]

And just in time for dinner, here's the final-for-approval drydock

And now I realize what I was doing wrong in the Interlude for Chapter 3 of LoGG - thanks!

(prepares to logoff and get down to writing)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012